Factory Options....
Post Fiend
Joined: Mar 2002
Posts: 19,402
Likes: 38
From: Bonita Springs FL
Rear bumpers, yes. Tailgates, no. I had a neighbor that bought a stripped down F-150 and it didn't come with a rear bumper.
Pretty sure at some point they became standard though. Fleet trucks could be ordered without a radio.
Pretty sure at some point they became standard though. Fleet trucks could be ordered without a radio.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,966
Likes: 595
From: Greater Austin, Texas
Lots of dealer folks in the 60s and 70s ordered their trucks without bumpers and would then have many bumper options that they would sell you, this helped their bottom line. Usually the cheapest option was a steel bumper painted silver or white with the dealer's name and city imprinted on it, which then gave them free advertising. I did dealer prep at a Chevy dealer in 78-79 and almost all of the trucks we sold went out the door with dealer bumpers that I put on. People ordering a factory bumper did not become widespread until the 80s.
Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,966
Likes: 595
From: Greater Austin, Texas
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Lead Driver
Joined: Feb 2002
Posts: 7,966
Likes: 595
From: Greater Austin, Texas
Here is a dealer name bumper from the 70s, these were very prevelant back in the day, but because they were just dipped cast iron, most of them rusted away. As original, the lettering stamped on either side of the bumper would be painted red. If you look closely you can see this one is from Corsicana, Texas.
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Senior User
Joined: May 2007
Posts: 417
Likes: 0
From: winnipeg
I live in winnipeg, mb .... CANADA :P lol
I was pulled into a "winnipeg police roadside vehicle inspection"
and with some smooth talking they let me go with a no tailgate ticket, insted of a list of things to fix in the next 14 days lol ....
I was pulled into a "winnipeg police roadside vehicle inspection"
and with some smooth talking they let me go with a no tailgate ticket, insted of a list of things to fix in the next 14 days lol ....
Senior User
Joined: Mar 2010
Posts: 459
Likes: 0
From: Fayetteville, NC
whats the difference from having no tailgate, and riding with the tailgate dropped(which i think is worse)....unless of course you have tons of crap back there rolling and sliding around....i dont get that, the tailgates are designed to be removed
Postmaster
Joined: Apr 2008
Posts: 4,802
Likes: 1
Now driving with the tailgate down, that's a whole different game, tailgates bounce when you hit bad roads and if the plastic bushing on the passenger side is bad or missing (like it is the case with most '80s and '90s trucks by now) the gate only needs to jump up like half a foot and it'll slide right off the hinge, then if it's an '90s truck then it's just the two wimpy cables that attach it to the bed and how long before they snap and the gate drops on the road? That I can see getting a ticket for, heck if I were a cop I'd be giving such tickets left and right, but having no tailgate with an empty bed or a properly secure load should be no issue at all...